Crop residue burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has been known, but nowadays it's spreading more frequently in other parts of country.
Wheat stubble burning is a relatively new issue which started with mechanised harvesting using combine harvesters. In the last four to five years, farmers from UP’s Ghazipur district, especially Zamania and Chandauli areas, have been burning wheat stubble at a large scale.
The government officials are not paying attention toward this. Ramnagina Kushwaha, a farmer from Zamania, Ghazipur, recently died in a field after being set ablaze while burning wheat stubble.
The state government has not implemented the National Policy for Management of Crop Residues to protect the parali (crop residue). On December 10, 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned crop residue burning in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
Burning crop residue is a crime under Section 188 of the IPC and under the Air and Pollution Control Act of 1981. However, government’s implementation lacks strength.